Three Bulldogs sign to play college football

Friday, February 8, 2013

Chris Sokoloski/Times
Georgetown High football players, front row from left, Anthony Blair, Caleb Hughes and A.J. Walker are all smiles while posing with their coaches on Wednesday morning. All three signed letters of intent to play college football.

By Chris Sokoloski
csokoloski@gtowntimes.com

Three Georgetown High School football players signed letters of intent to play college football on Wednesday morning.
Anthony Blair signed with North Greenville University, Caleb Hughes signed with Limestone College, and A.J. Walker signed with St. Augustine’s University.
“This is the biggest class that we’ve had since we’ve been here,” coach Bradley Adams said. “It goes to show we are headed in the right direction. … We’re where we want to be.”
Adams expects at least two more Bulldogs will sign with colleges in the near future.
“Our whole purpose as coaches is to give these young men a chance to further their education and be successful in life,” Adams said.

Anthony Blair

Blair will be joining a Crusaders squad that went 5-6 last season.
“It’s a big day, starting a new chapter of my life,” Blair said. “It’s a great day.”
After playing football at Georgetown as a freshman, Blair didn’t play as a sophomore, but was recruited back to the team before by Adams.
“I’m glad I came back,” Blair said.
“Anthony has a lot of potential, he’s going to continue to grow into a big body and that was one of the things that made him very attractive to many of the college recruiters,” Adams said.
Although currently competing for a playoff spot in basketball, he prefers football because he likes “the aggressiveness.”
As a senior, Blair led the Bulldogs in tackles for a loss (16-and-a-half), and was second on the team in tackles (85) and sacks (six-and-a-half). He also forced two fumbles and recovered three fumbles.
Blair was named to the first team All-Region team and was selected to compete in the North-South All-Star game.
He’ll be entering North Greenville’s pre-engineering program, and plans to take classes at Clemson.

Caleb Hughes

Limestone will start playing football in 2014, and Hughes is part of the inaugural class of recruits.
“Our team picture will always be up there as the first alumni, that’s awesome,” Hughes said. “I look forward to getting to bond with the guys for a year without playing, that’s a big thing too.”
“Caleb was a leader of our program,” Adams said. “[He] bought into everything we were doing and was our quarterback the last two years and is going to be a very hard young man to replace. He will also have a great future.”
Hughes has been playing football since he was 10, but was an offensive lineman until the seventh grade.
“I was always a little chunky and short,” he said. “I finally grew out of that.”
It had always been his dream to play college football, especially at quarterback.
“[As] quarterback you can be the leader of the team,” Hughes said. “I like it. You can lead your guys, they look up to you and you can carry them and I like being in that role.”
As a senior, Hughes passed for 1,620 yards and 15 touchdowns. He averaged 147 passing yards per game and also rushed for three touchdowns.
He was named to second team All-Region team.
Hughes will major in physical education and wants be a phys ed teacher and football coach. After he graduates from Limestone he wants to be a graduate assistant for a college team while getting his master’s.

A.J. Walker

St. Augustine’s in Florida is a Division II school. The Falcons were 6-4 on the gridiron last season.
“This is a great day,” Walker said. “I’m just so happy.”
“A.J. is another young man that has a lot of upside to him,” Adams said. “He has the potential to be a great football player down the road and has worked extremely hard in the weight room over the last year to put himself in the situation he’s in today.”
Walker, who is currently battling for a playoff spot with the Bulldogs basketball team, grew up playing hoops and only started playing football when he got to middle school.
“I knew football was going to take me to the next level, so I just worked hard in football,” Walker said.
As a senior, Walker led the team in receptions (57), yards (724), and receiving touchdowns (eight), and was second on the team in all-purpose yards (755).
Walker was named to the first team All-Region team after the season.
He will study sports management, and wants to be a coach or a professional scout after he graduates.

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